


Ghosts in The Sims Series, a Primer

by Testingcheats (Aeiouna)



Category: The Sims (Video Games)
Genre: Community: fan_flashworks, Gen, Meta, Picspam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-25 21:12:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/643006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeiouna/pseuds/Testingcheats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How ghosts have evolved in the many games in The Sims series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosts in The Sims Series, a Primer

**Author's Note:**

> Written for fan_flashworks Challenge 27: Ghosts and Gore

Witches, werewolves, aliens, and fairies. These all, at some point in time, have existed in one of the three games in the main series of _The Sims_ franchise. One supernatural being, however, has remained a constant throughout all three games and their expansion packs: ghosts.

Ghosts have been haunting Sims since the game was first release 12 years ago, and they have evolved and become more interactive as the years went on.

**Ghosts in _The Sims_**

****

  
  
A series of tombstones on a lot in _The Sims_. Tombstones were randomly chosen.

  
Ghosts in _The Sims._

In _The Sims_ , ghosts were rather basic. They would show up randomly at night and wander the lot. They didn't do much. Also, all ghosts were a transparent greenish-blue. Not much to it.

**Ghosts in _The Sims 2_**

  
  
Tombstones in _The Sims 2_. Note the fancier one.

  
A ghost that died of old age.

In _The Sims 2_ , ghosts got more advanced. In this game a Sim's ghost's color was dependent on how he or she died. For example, Sims that died of old age are white, ones that died from fire are red, ones that drowned are blue, etc. Also, how they wreak havoc on the house is also depends on how they died. For example, drowned ghosts leave puddles all over, and starvation ghosts raid the fridge.1 A ghosts tombstone is also dependent on how they died. In most cases, the tombstone will be the dingy, simple stone. However, if a Sim died of old age while in platinum aspiration, his or her tombstone will be marbled, with gold trim, as well as their aspiration time displayed on it.

Ghosts also have the ability to haunt objects by jumping into them. Living Sims tend to avoid these objects while they're haunted.

 **Ghosts in _The Sims 3_**

 ****

  
  
Tombstones in _The Sims 3._

  
Ghosts in _The Sims 3_. These ghosts died from old age, starvation, and fire, respectively.

In _The Sims 3_ , ghosts are the most advanced they've ever been. There are, however, some similarities to their _Sims 2_ counterparts. Like in _The Sims 2_ , they're colored according to cause of death, but some of the colors are different and they're much fancier. For example, instead of clear, starvation ghosts are now pink, and fire ghosts are orange instead of red. In addition, the fire ghosts look like they've got a fire burning inside them. Drowning ghosts look like they have water flowing, and electrocution ghosts have lightning coursing through their bodies.1

  
  
A living Sim interacting with a ghost Sim.

  
The ghost Sim's tombstone now on the living Sim's lot.

What truly sets ghosts in this game apart from its predecessors is that ghosts can fully interact with living Sims as though they weren't dead. Living Sims can befriend, date, and even marry ghost Sims.

  
  
The ghost, now playable/controllable.

Once a living Sim has a strong enough relationship with a ghost Sim, he or she can take the ghost's tombstone and put it on their home lot. A few days after this happens, the living Sim will gain an opportunity to bring the ghost Sim's remains to the town science lab, where they'll make the Sim playable, but still a ghost (he or she will carry his or her tombstone in his or her inventory, and it must not be removed).1 It is also possible to bring the Sim back to life, but it's complicated and I ran out of time to make it happen before doing this primer.

Another reason I didn't bring the ghost back to life, was so I could bring up another new thing about ghosts in this game: ghost babies.

  
  
Ghost baby.

  
The ghost child, now a toddler, with his living twin sister.

If a living Sim has a child with a ghost Sim, there's a chance the child will also be a ghost. Ghost children will have the same "cause of death" as their ghost parent (and, like their ghost parent, carry their tombstone in their inventory), but otherwise are the same as normal Sims.

So, as you can see, _The Sims_ development team took the concept of ghosts and turned it on it head, making them become more and more a significant part of the game as each game goes on.

1\. [Types of ghost in The Sims 2](http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Ghost#Types_of_ghost_in_The_Sims_2), The Sims Wiki ↩  
2\. [Types of Ghosts](http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Ghost#Types_of_Ghosts), The Sims Wiki ↩  
3\. [Oh My Ghost!](http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Oh_My_Ghost%21), The Sims Wiki ↩


End file.
